Top lift.



s. w. WINSLOW.

TOP LIFT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.15, 1912.

Patented N 0v. 18, 1913.

Fi g4 WT/VESSESZ M6. Z/M

STATES PATENT ores-on.

INSLOXV, OF ORLEANS, ZMASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE .-Y COMYANY, 0F PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW T0}? LIFT.

Application filed November 15, 1912.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

Serial No. 731,550.

- in may concern; town that I, SlDN-EY W. VVnssrcw,

State of Massachusetts. have invented certain improvements in Top Lifts, of wh ch the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specititration. like reference characters 0n -the drawings indicating like parts in the several are-i .-ted n the marginal portion of the top f: close to the edge and outside the 1209i attaching nails. In the first. place the smcl-z immediately surrounding the slug on the grain side bulges somewhat as the slug is driven. stock to some extent forcedahead of it and. the point of the slug emerges on the flesh side of the top lift, a; considerable amount of stock is pushedout so that each slug is surrounded on the flesh side'by a portion of the. stock which israised above the plane of the flesh side. The stock 0011-.

mined in these bul es, which'is hardened by the i ressure of t 1e slug as it is driven, tends to force, and fro uently does force, the top lift away from-til he l to which the top lift is attached, resulting in checking on the edge of the heel :u'. the line of junction of the top lift and the heel. This tendency to check is aggran-med when the slugs are blunt ended or when they are so short that theyprotrudc only slightly beyond the flesh surface of the top lift. Some manufacturers prefer to use blunt ended slugs and it is desirable for obvious reasons of economy that the slugsb-sn's short preferable.

An important object of this invention is :1 obviate the disadvantages which have resulted from the displacement of stock in the slugrdriringoperation and to this end a feature of the invention is atop lift provided on its llcshsidc with a recess or recesses. preferably in the form of a continuous groove, substantially in the line in which the slugs are'to be driven. l/Vhen the slugs are. driven the material forced out on the flesh side finds lod-gment in this groove and will not be i-rced beyond the plane of z m"; the United States, residing ats, in the. county of Barnstable and of the top lift is thereby rendere Again, in driving the slug thee outer lift of the.

v the flesh side. At the same time the relief which is alforded by this groove prevents much of the displacement which would otherwise take place, as above explained, on the grain side. The groove will preferably terminate a short distance from the breast of the top lift on each side to provide for the grooveis-formed'and thereby impart to the top 'lift the,great advantagesof com'-' pression as well ,as the advantages secured by the groove. An important advantage of forming the groove in a compressed or condensed' top lift is that themarginal ortion" much denser than the interior portion. As is well known, the portion of the-top 11ft which wears off first is the marginal portion of the grain face around the curved rear endof the top.lift and it is highly advantageous that this should be the hardest and firmest portion of the top lift.

It has heretofore been the ractice to concave the top lift spanking p ate on the heeling machine for the purposeof crowding down and rounding somewhat, the margin of the top lift as it isspanked on the heel. The'reason for this is'that-after slugs have been inserted in a flat top lift the lift isusually higher around its margin than in the interior, owing to the displacementof the stock in the slug driving operation. The practice of concaving the spanking plate has been unsatisfactory, as the con cavity in a spanking plate so formed and adapted for top lifts of medium size would be too small for large top lifts and too large for small top lifts. 7

Another object. of this invention is to remedy this difficulty by an improvement in 100 the top lift, and accordingly a feature of the invention is a compressed top lift having formed on 'its grain face a narrow slug receiving mar "n which is beveled toward the edge. Pre erably this margin will be of 105 such width that the line in which'the slugs are driven will be approximately along the middle of the margin and the bevel ,will be at such an angle that th bulging stock forced upwardly du i th Slug (iriving. 110

operation will not. be raised above the inner edge of the bevel. This beveled margin has a further advantage when the top'lift is formed with an interior ornamented area depressed below the-normal plane of the margin. It occasionally happens that top lifts of this character as heretofore used have their marginal portions crowded down somewhat in the top lift spanking operation so that the plane of the margin is then offset only Slightly, if at all from the ornamented area. \Vhen the s ugs are driven into such a top lift provided with a margin having a substantial bevel the margin still has some bevel-after the slugs have been inserted, so that the margin can be buffed by a bufiing roll operating in a plane at a slight angle to the general plane of the grain face without danger of defacing the interior ornamented area. 4

A top lift having'an interior ornamented area formedby pressure and surrounded by a marginal slug receiving area offset from or extending above the plane of the interior ornamented area is of commercial advantage because the ornamented area gives; an' 'attractive appearance to the top lift and further because superficial defects in stock,

otherwise suitable for top lifts, are. hidden-- or covered up by the ornamented area, while themargin and they heads of the slugs may be buffed without. defacing the ornamentation. Such top lifts, however, whether compressed or uncompressed, have the disadvantage that the marginal portion surrounding the ornamented area is distinctly less dense than the interior ornamented area, while as above explained, the greatest wear on the'top lift is on thecurved marginal portion at the rear.

\Vith the object of remedying this disadvantage another important feature of my invention is a top lift having an interior ornamented area surrounded by a marginal portion oflset outwardly above the plane of the. interior portion, with the attendant well lmown advantages, in which the marginal pmt ion is as dense as or preferably substantially denser than the interior portion.

Various other features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully in the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. in the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view, partly in section, of one form of top lift embodying the present invention, the section being taken in the plane l-l of Fig. Fig. fl'is a perspective View of the flesh side of the top lift shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of an ordinary top lift. which has been slngged; and Fig. 4. is a transverse sectional view of the top lift shown in Fig. t after it has been slugged. Referring to the drawings, 2 indicates a top lift of any usual form which may be either compressed or uncon'ipressed. customary to drive slugs 4, "2, l 'i or through the top lift alum the r .ir after the top lift has been attaened to a i In the operation of driving these the. stock is crowded out son'iewhat on the grain side of the lift, forming bulges 6 around the heads of the slugs. The stock is also forced towardand outwardly from the faceof the flesh side of the lift by the points of the slugs, forminghardened bulging portions 8 upon the flesh side where the points of the slugs emerge.

The bulging at the points 8 on the flesh. side of the lift has heretoforecaused a great deal of trouble because the stock crowded ahead and compressed by the slugs is constantly tending to force the lift away from the heel, opening a crack' or check{ between the lift and the heel." This is particularly noticeable-when blunt ended slugs or short slugs which protrude little, if any, beyond the flesh side of the lift areused. I have found that the diiiiculties resulting from the displacement of the stock in the slug driving operation are ell'ectively overcome by forming in the flesh side of the lift a recessiu which the excess stock may find lodgment. Preferably, the recess is in the form of a U-shaped groove 14 terminating at points 20, 20, a. sufficient distance from the breast edge 22 of the lift to allow some stoclt to be removed in the heel breastin}, operation. While these advantages may he obtained by a groove of any desired cross section suitable to receive and afford relief for the stock displaced by the slugs, the form illustrated in the drawings, in which the groove is shown as decreasing gradually in depth from an outer shoulder 15 toward the interior portion of the lift, has the 'advantage that the largest possible area is presented for firm engagement with the heads of the heel attaching nails upon which the top lift is spanked and which are chiefly depended upon to secure the top lift to the heel, and I consider this the best. form. Tn order to afford relief for the stock displaced by the slugs the groove should be in line with the slugs t '1' n ar enough to such a line to permit the displaced stock to find ledgment in the groove. \Vhile the main function of the groove 14 is to revei've the bulges 91 have also found that the relief which itatl'ords prevents the stock from being raised around thrheads of the slugs as much as would occur otherwise. For this reason (onsiderablv less bulling is required-to bran! the heads of the slugs and the margin down to a uniform level surfacm'with the consequell: saving of the valuable grain portion of the leather and of bnlling material and labor.

\Vhile the groove just described is of ad vantage in any top lift, it. has an additiona Q advantage in a ctnnpressed top lift because 'when-the groove fan-med during the comhave heretofore been formed wit-h an interior ornamented area and an offset marginal slug receiving portion and such top lifts have been extensively used both on account of their attractive appearance and because superficial defects or blemishes in the leather are hidden by the ornamentation. A -fur ther advantage of such a top lift is that the heads of the slugs and the bulgin stock surrounding them can be bufi'ed oil by 'an ordinary bufiingroll without defacing the.

interior ornamentation, but it has had the disadvantage that the marginal portion was substantiallyless dense, and therefore less durable, than the interior portion, although of course the mar inal portion, particularly around the curve rear end, receives most of the wear to which the top lift is subjected.

An important feature of my invention is ,a top lift of this type having a marginal 0rtion which.is at least as dense as, an is preferably? distinctly denser than, the ornamented interior. The greater density is imparted to the marginal portion by a die which forms the groove on the flesh side and this groove will preferably be formed at the same time that the ornamented area is produced on the grain side.

r n objectionable result of the bulging of the stock during the slug driving operationon a fiat, top lift, whether compressed or uncompressed, is that the grain face of the top lift is made somewhat concave. as shown in Fig. This makes it impossible to butt the interior portion of the grain face ofthe lift with an ordinary. butting roll,'whie h is evlindrical, without butling the margin so dot-ply as to cut through the grain of the leather. It is exceedingly undesirable to do this because the grain is the best part of the leather and should be preserved around the margin of the lift where the lift receives the most wear. Unsatisfactory attempts to overcome this difiiculty have been made by forming the top lift spanking plate of the heel attaching machinehvith a concavity in its fa shaped to round slightly the margin of the top lift as it was spanked on the heel. This expedient has been unsatisfactory because the concave face of a spanking plate would be of the right shape for only one size of top lift. I have over come this dit'liculty by im merit. in the top lift. To this end one feature of my invention consists in forming upon grain side. of the top lift a beveled margin 10 similar in form to that shown in Figs. 1

and 2. The essential characteristics of this feature of the invention are that the bevel 10 be formed along the slugging line and be at. least a little wider than the row of slu l' hen a top lift having a beveled margin such as is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is slogg-ed, the grain surface is bulged somewhat around the slugs, as in the case of the ordinary to;-

lift, but sufficient bevel is provided so that after the slugs are driven the edge of the lift will be no higher than the inner edge of the beveled margin. This may be seen clearly by referring to Fig. 4 wherein the margin 10 has been bulged somewhat by the slugs. but not enough to raise the edge of the lift abovethe inner edge of the margin. ,W-hen a top lift having a plain grain surface embodying this feature of the invention is slugged the lift will usually not be coneaved, as in Fig. 3,and the interior portion of the surface may be buffed without retr eving the grainat the edge. I prefer, however, to form top lifts with both the beveled margin on the grain side-and the groove on the flesh side in order to insure that this difficulty shall be entirely overcome as well as to secure all the other advantages which may be obtained by combining these features. This beveled margin has particular utility in a top lift having an interior ornamented area surrounded by an offset slug receiving por tion. It often happens that the margin of such a top lift is crowded down somewhat in the top liftspanking operation so that its surface is only slightly, if at all, above the ornamented area. \Vhen the slugs are inserted the outer edge of the margin is raised so that the margin is inclined inwardly toward the ornamented area and it is difficult or impossible to buff it without defacing the ornamented area. This drawback is overcome according to my invention by forming the bevel 10 at a sullieient. angle so that after the top lift is sluggcd the margin will still have n. slight outward bevel. The :margin may then be buffed down to such a surface as that. indicated by the brokenline 16 in Fig. 'i with an ordinary-roll without. dangeroi' touching the interior area 12 and without cutting through the grain part of the margin. Furthermore, a top lift embodying this feature of my invention may be provided with an interior ormunented area which is not depressed below the plane of the inner edge of the margin, as the beveled margin may be butl'ed without danger of defacing the ornamentation.

The beveled margin 10 and the recess or compressing machine. has the advantage that the marginal porroove 14 may be produced in various ways but I prefer to mold them by heavy pressure imparted by suitable dies in a powerful So forming them tion of the top liftmay be hardened, and if desired the top lift as a whole may be condensed, at the same operation. By forming the dies properly the ornamentation 12 may be impressed in the grain face of the lift at the same time. Dies adapted for these purposes suitable changes in the formation of the pressure exerting faces are shown 'in United States Letters Patent No.

772,840, granted Oct.'18, 1904. Such diesmay be mounted in a machine of. the type shown in United States Letters Patent No. 776,787, granted Dec. 6, 1904.

While the invention has been specifically described with particular reference'to a comtop'lifthaving a flat or smooth grain. face and whiclrmay be either compressed or uncompressed; and that the marginalportion of relatively great density may also be effectively used in a top lift having a flat face or one which is otherwise uncompressed. Sueh variations are contemplated as within the spirit and scope of the invention and the claims should be construed accordingly.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1 As a new article of manufacture, a top lift adapted for attachment to heels of boots or shoes having a recess in its-heel contacting face substantially in the slugging line and of less depth than the thickness of the top lift, to receive stock displaced in the slugging operation.

9.. As anew article of manufacture, a top lift for heels of boots or'shoes having a groove in its inner or flesh side so formed and located as to afford relief for the stock displaced during the slugging operation.

As a new article of manufacture, a top lift for heels of boots or shoes having in its flesh side a U -shaped groove located substantially in the slugging line to receive stock displaced by slugs, the roove terminating at a substantial distance from the breast edge of. the lift. Y

4. As a new-article of manufacture, a top lift for heels of boots or shoes having a U- shaped beveled margin on its grain-side and a corresponding U-shaped groove in its flesh side.

5. As a new article'of manufacture, a top lift for heels of boots or shoes having a slug receiving margin beveled on the grain side and provided in the flesh side with a'recess to receive stock displaced by the slugs.

6- As a new article of manufacture, a top lift for heels of boots or shoes having the margin of its outer face beveled toward the edge of the lift, the inner boundary Of-said beveled portion being within the slugging line.

'7. As a new article of manufacture, a top lift for heels of boots or shoes having an ornamented interior portion surrounded bya U-shaped-margin beveled on the outer face of'the lifttoward the edge of the lift, the inner boundary of said beveled portion being within the slugging line.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a, top

lift having an interior area ornamented by and a U-shaped marginal 'area olipressure set. outwardly above theinterior area, the

margin being of greater density than the interior portion.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a top lift having a com ressedornamented interior area surroun ed by a compressed marginal area offset outwardly above the ornamentcd interior area, the density of the marginal portion of the lift being at least as great as that of its interior portion.

10. A top lift for heels of boots or shoes provided with a groove in the marginal portion of its flesh side, said groove having its minimum depth at its inneredge to afford a maximum interior area for secure engagement. with the heads of, the heel attaching nails in the spanking operation.

In testimony whereof [have signed my name to-this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIDNEY V. XVI-N SLOl-V.

V itncsses:

NELSON W. Howanu, FREDERICK L. EDMANDS. 

